Hot Pug on Pug Action: We Try Pug Ryan's Dunkel (Special Saturday Edition!)

No pugs were harmed in the taking of this picture. Also, he's not allowed to drink beer.

Jeff

The problem with some dark beers is that, even if you enjoy dark and bitter flavors, finding pairings that won't overwhelm your food can be difficult. Luckily, Pug Ryan's German style Dunkel is a dark beer that not only pairs well with food, but is also a complex and delicious experience all on its own.

Cracking open this beer I noticed it had an attractive reddish-brown hue which complimented its faintly bitter smell. My first drink was surprising- nicely bitter but with definitely noticeable hits of sour and sweet as well. The flavor also had a nice rounded malt flavor to it, almost caramel like, with a nicely balanced note of hops.

H was surprised at the lack of bitterness and, unusually, found this to be a darker beer that she actually enjoyed. I would definitely buy this again and wouldn't hesitate to pair this with food. It's complexity is what keeps it from being overpowering and eminently drinkable.

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Haley

I had to know when we chose this beer to review where the name "Pug Ryan" had come from. The name is as good as the real person behind it was bad. This beer is named after an outlaw: bank robber, train robber, deputy killer. A real bad hombre. Sadly, the can design is a little more tame.

For a beer that is billed as "brewed for the outlaw in you," I wish more of that was reflected in the design. Where's the intrigue? Show me a train, give me an action pose. Guns, danger, pew pew! If you're going to choose something for its edginess, let it be edgy!

That plus even more mountains equals, to me, a pretty boring can design.

Sweaty Betty Hefeweizen: Will It Give Us The Hots?

Jeff

Sweaty Betty Blonde is an incredibly light and refreshing beer. Described as having hints of banana and clove, I could definitely detect the subtle spice from the clove, and the banana lends it a nice mellow sweetness- fruity, but not too fruity.

This is a great summer beer, with a subtle smell and a very clean finish. As Haley pointed out, it's "very chuggable".

This beer would be great to accompany an outdoor barbecue and the only thing that stops it from being prefect in my book is it is a bit one-note. However, I would still heartily recommend it.

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Haley

Let me start with what I do like. The color combo here is one of my personal favorites. They are bright and summery which does match what's inside. Apart from that though, I don't love this design.

"Sweaty Betty" sounds very sexy to me but this does not convey that. It's just part of a face, with eyes that are big and vacant. Where's the sexiness? Where's the allure? Where's the SWEAT?

The font and bits of graphics swirls around the top and bottom of the label look almost vaguely Egyptian, especially with the shape of the Ts in the font. Overall the graphics have a bit of a clip art feel to them- cheap looking, without a clear point of view.

While the colors are eye catching, this design doesn't live up to its evocative name and doesn't make me want to reach for it when I need refreshment.

Jeff Gose a Little Crazy Over Brombeere Blackberry Gose

Jeff

The picture for this Blackberry flavored beer from the Odell Brewing Company does not do it justice. Haley and I were both impressed by the beautiful blush color it had. As soon as I poured it I noticed the color, followed closely by the pleasant scent.

According to the can, this Gose (a German sour style beer pronounced goes-uh) is flavored with coriander, salt, and blackberry. I will be honest- I couldn't taste the coriander at all. Not even as just an herbaceous note at the end. But the salt came through, as well as the blackberry.

This is a sour beer, but it is just about the perfect level of sourness. Not enough to pucker your mouth put it definitely has a zing to it.  The light fruit flavor and the salt help balance the sour as well. The blackberry is noticeable as blackberry, but it's not a sugary sweet and it's also very natural tasting.

It finishes with just a hint of salt at the back of the mouth and it did leave my mouth a little dry because of that.

Overall this is a very strong summer time sipping beer, with crisp and clean flavors that will refresh without overpowering.

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Haley

It's important to remember that every reviewer of, well, everything has their own criteria on how they base their judgments. Mine are, as stated previously, does the design make me want to buy the product (does it catch my eye) and does it represent what's inside of it? 

So I'm just going to say this upfront: I really dislike the muted colors of this can. It's blackberry- give me some in your face purple! It's a bear- give me the greens of the forest! Honestly, the colors were just too subtle for me to really stand out, especially with such an intricate design. This is worsened by the fact that this is a summery beer and the colors read very fall to me.

I acknowledge this had a lot to do with personal preference because otherwise this is just about the perfect can. The design is strong and unique, it has a point of view. It's playful while also perfectly connecting to the name and the flavors inside the can.

The font is also delightful- they look like branches!

Maybe this is harsh, but I'm giving it three and a half stars just because the colors leave me wanting more, especially considering the beautiful and rich blush color of the beer inside.

Dry Dock Apricot Blonde Leaves Us Wet

Jeff

If Dry Dock Apricot Blonde is a siren, then the glass I poured it into must be the rock she sits on because I was immediately drawn to this beer. When first poured, the fruity smell of apricot is what greeted me immediately. What followed is a fruity beer that is smooth and delicious without ever veering into Kool-Aid territory.

Though I might describe the color of the beer as peachy, the flavor it has is decidedly apricot. However, it's not super sweet or overwhelming in that flavor. It blends nicely with the beer itself, remaining light and finishing with a very mellow aftertaste and just a bit of dryness. 

I didn't list the IBU's of this beer because they didn't seem that noteworthy but it does have an IBU of 17. That being said, there is almost no bitterness to the taste, and this has been one of Haley's favorite that we have tasted so far as well.

This is a skillfully made beer and, for a larger craft brewer, I'm not sure you will find a better fruit ale out there.

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Haley

I love this design. There, that was easy. Review over! Well, let me expound on that a little more maybe.

Apricot Blonde is everything I want in a design. First off, it tells me exactly what's in the can. It has apricots, it has a blonde, it says in plain language on the front what the flavors are, and the color of the can itself evokes images of a nice ripe apricot.

It also succeeds in its second goal: it makes me want to buy the product. The sort of siren/mermaid thing fits their brand name, the design is attractive and sensual without being crass- heck, even the fonts blend nicely and make sense.

Overall, this is a just a perfect marriage of concept and design, with every element working in harmony to create something attractive and memorable. In fact, it stuck in my mind so much that I ended up cooking something with apricots for the very first time about a week after I tried it. That, my friends, is the power of good design.

Death by Coconut Gives Jeff Life

Jeff

Beers are incredibly seasonally oriented. There are beers for summer, beers for winter, and beers for every season in between. Death by Coconut is interesting in that it seems to straddle multiple seasons by offering a dark porter flavored with the more summery taste of coconut.

My first thought when opening up this beer was that it smelled a little artificial. However, upon tasting, the coconut is very naturally flavored, with nice caramel undertones. It's not hugely complex, but the notes it does hit are right on.

I will say that it is pretty light for a porter and I was a pretty surprised at the lack of bitterness it has. I would actually prefer my porters to have a little more body and to be a bit more bitter than this one. Because of this though it does manage to straddle the line between winter and spring pretty well.

This deserves a four out of five star rating because the flavor is nice and true to its description. It also deserves a high rating because it has no unpleasant aftertaste. It would be perfect if not for the off putting fake scent when opened, which Haley also noticed had a strong "boozey" element to it as well.

If you like strong coconut flavor in a dark beer that is smooth and without noticeable bitterness, Death by Coconut might be for you.

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Haley

I guess much like the beer itself, I find this can a little confusing. Jeff and I both noted the mish mash of design elements here: it's a coconut flavored Irish porter with Colorado mountains, faux tiki fonts and textures, a brown and white color scheme, and "land of the rising sun" rays all crammed together on the can. Not to mention it also features a pale icy blue (shout out to periwinkle!). What is this? What season is this beer for?

Because of all of these issues the design just seems muddled to me so I'm going to give this 3/5 stars, because at least it does say "coconut" if not "Irish porter"- so I know a little bit of what I'm getting. Overall though, I don't really love it, and it didn't catch my eye in the store.